


Dearly Betrothed

by autotheism



Category: Kirby (Video Games), Kirby - All Media Types
Genre: Adding tags as I go along, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Everyone Needs A Hug, Galacta is a bit of an ass at first, Gijinka - Humanized, M/M, but they become good friends and all, nightmare is an asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 13:27:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17746724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autotheism/pseuds/autotheism
Summary: In Nightmare’s search for a suitable heir to his company aside his son, he finds Galacta, and has the two be engaged despite Meta already being committed to a relationship with Dark.Things don’t go well at first, but Meta and Galacta gradually warm up to each other, devising a plan to put an end to Nightmare’s wicked schemes.





	Dearly Betrothed

**Author's Note:**

> hoo boy, here it is, i spent a long time on this chapter.  
> special thanks to poe, for being my beta-reader, and alex, for his support, i deeply appreciate you both a lot!!

Meta’s internal clock wakes him to an empty bed and he’s surprised to see that for once, the blankets are still intact. This is an unusual but welcome start to the day, as Galacta liked to make quite the racket and wake Meta at ungodly hours in the morning. He knew the man did this on purpose, and he also enjoyed stealing Meta's precious blankets.

Rubbing his eyes, Meta reaches for his phone and turns it on.  
He would’ve savored the moment had his phone not blared with the sound of notifications the second he did so, instead choosing to sit up and checking his phone with a deep sigh.

_11 New Messages._

_Dark: morning sunshine~_

_Dark: you’re not awake yet? had a rough night? did you die?_

You sent those messages barely five minutes from one another, Meta thinks to himself, rolling his eyes.

_Dark: i might start to worry about you_

_Dark: meta_

_Dark: mmmmetaaaa_

_Dark: please_

_Dark: you’re my only source of entertainment in this cold world!_

Meta is content leaving the remaining messages unread, assuming they’re all from Dark being overly dramatic until he sees a different name pop up.  
He perks up slightly.

_Kirby: Hey bro! Don’t forget you promised to buy me cake today!_

Right. He’s been busy lately with barely any time for his family, let alone his friends and lover. Meeting up with them today would surely alleviate some of the stress he’s under.

He sends a quick text back to his brother.

_Meta: Of course. I promised you, didn’t I?_

Then another, addressed to Dark.

_Meta: Have you ever heard of ‘sleeping in?’_

He’s about to put his phone down, ready to start the day, until it buzzes again and he knows it’s from Dark without checking. Dark’s tendency to keep his phone on hand all day makes him a quick texter. Meta wonders if he even talks to anyone aside from him.

_Dark: doesn’t seem like you_

_Meta: Very funny._

_Dark: ^_−☆ see you later, babe~_

Meta’s heart skips a beat. It’s over text yet still manages to throw him off. Bastard.

_Meta: Yes. I will see you this afternoon._

Meta tucks his phone in his pockets after he’s properly dressed himself, taking more time than usual in the bathroom as Galacta isn’t constantly knocking on the door to ask when he’s finally done, or vice-versa. Perhaps they’re going about this as children, but Meta will be damned if he loses to this prick.

Despite this, Meta doesn’t fault Galacta for the situation. His father wanted an appropriate heir to the family company, thus he’d made an arrangement with Nova to marry off his son to their’s even though the two had never gotten along. Meta could’ve just up and ran away but that’d mean abandoning his little brother, who means the world to him. So he tolerates it as best as he can even though he finds himself longing for the comfort of Dark’s embrace in those lonely nights he spends on the floor, wrapped tightly in whatever blanket is made available for him. He convinces himself it’s just another part of life he’ll get through, no matter how bleak the situation seems.

Meta ponders these thoughts further as he heads to their usual spot, a small cafe bordering the shopping district of the city called ‘The Halberd’. It is run by Vul, a grouchy man Meta estimates in his forties. Though Vul tends to complain about their antics often, Meta knows he loves them to death.

He rounds the last corner and the cafe comes into view, as well as an individual who waves enthusiastically the second he spots Meta. Meta awkwardly waves back in the hopes Dark would let up slightly, as while it isn’t as busy, he is attracting a fair amount of attention. Granted, his unusual appearance does the trick fairly well, too. Dark is a moderately small man with a pale complexion and long hair he keeps in a loose ponytail, but most notably of all is the jagged scar that runs straight through his left eye. He doesn’t go much into detail with that, but Meta knows it has to do something with Dark’s late father.

“Meta! I’ve missed you so!” Dark exclaims, and as tempting as it is to dramatically jump into his arms, he restrains himself. Meta unfortunately has a public image of being ‘happily engaged’ to uphold. The mere thought of it makes him want to vomit.

“Where is Kirby?” Meta asks, putting in slight effort to sound as emotionally detached as possible. There is a notable shift in Dark’s demeanor that sends a pang through Meta’s heart, and the two maintain an awkward distance despite being lovers. Dark holds open the door for Meta, and they head inside.

He’s quick to spot Kirby at their usual spot near the window, having brought Dedede and Bandanna along. The three of them are actively engaging in a heated debate over which item on the menu is superior, and Meta guesses it’s Kirby against Dedede and Bandanna as usual.  
He smiles. Seeing things like this always manages to make him briefly forget the harsh reality he's living in. Meta and Dark take their seats opposite the three, and Meta has to clear his throat for them to finally notice his arrival.

“Took ya long enough!” Dedede greets, reaching over to give Meta an awkward pat on the shoulder. He appreciates the sentiment.

“I did not have the car today,” Meta shrugs, nodding curtly to Bandanna who only gives him an awkward smile. He knows they want to talk about _it_ , but the sole reason Meta comes here is to forget that it ever happened.

He turns his attention to his younger brother. “Have you decided yet?” he asks and Kirby very nearly shoves the menu card in Meta’s face, enthusiastically pointing at his choice. Meta smiles involuntarily, that’s what he always has. Just the right amount of sweetness, but his friends and Dark all find it to be a little too saccharine. Meta blames this on their terrible taste, and not because he has a sweet tooth.

“Alright, if that is all—“ he is cut off abruptly by Dedede, who glares at him, and Dark, leaning against Meta with a raised brow.

“How ‘bout us?” Dedede pouts, and Meta just sighs.

“I promised to treat Kirby.” He responds flatly, earning him a second pout from his boyfriend. He knows that face well. Dark doesn’t let up when he has his sights set on something.

“What if I forgot my wallet~?” Dark feigns innocence. Meta doesn't buy this and rolls his eyes, but he gives in regardless.

“Again? I am starting to think that you deliberately leave it at home,” he accuses, but takes out his wallet anyway. “Fine. For this once, I will treat all of you.”

Meta sees Dedede nudge Bandanna and whisper just a little too loudly for it to be intended solely for Bandanna’s ears. “Pick the most expensive,”

Meta scowls. “I will never treat you again.”

Dedede is just about to retort when a waitress comes to the table and takes their orders, and he instead opts to order the same thing as Kirby. Bandanna ordered it as well, as Kirby kept insisting that it was the best thing they'll ever have.

After their orders arrive a comfortable silence falls between them, only broken by the occasional scrape of cutlery on plates and the loud sips Dark takes from his drink. The man isn't very big on anything sweet, so tends to go for iced or regular coffee depending on the weather.

“So…” It’s Kirby who breaks the silence, having, as always, finished his cake first. He looks at Meta. “When will you intro—“

“ _Stop_.” Meta cuts him off and almost chokes on his food, the entire table falling silent. Dark places a hand on his back in pretense of helping him regain his breath, but Meta finds it comforting.

“Hey… it ain’t like you to lash out, ‘specially at Kirby,” Dedede’s voice is full of concern, and Meta has to look the other way. He hadn’t intended to bring his issues to the time he still had with his friends, especially in front of his little brother.  
He sighs deeply.

“I… I apologize. I did not mean it,” Meta says, gathering his belongings and stuffs them in the bag he’d brought along. “I ought to get going,” he promptly leaves without giving any of them a chance to get a single word in.

“It must be hard on him,” Bandanna says as they all watch him pass by. They’re all startled when Dark suddenly sets his empty mug down with far too much force and stands up, following Meta’s lead but goes a different direction. Home, likely.

“For all of ‘em,” says Dedede, and the three clean up quick, all going their separate ways for the day.  


End file.
